By making local officials the gatekeepers for million-dollar businesses, states created a breeding ground for bribery and favoritism. Jasiel Correia’s star was rising. The son of Cape Verdean immigrants in the working-class Massachusetts port city of Fall River — famed as the home of Lizzie Borden — Correia was a home-grown prodigy. At 23, he…
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The tentacles of the cannabis lobby reach deep to Sonoma County decision makers Dear County Counsel Robert Pittman: It has come to my attention that the sister-in-law of Supervisor James Gore, Erin Gore, is an active lobbyist on behalf of the cannabis industry. My Public Records Act requests have shown that she has been frequently…
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After living on our residential property for 30 years we now live next to a cannabis grow situated on 5 acres, 10 acres is required however the grower next to us was Grandfathered in allowing the 5 acre parcel to grow cannabis. We now live 300 FT from a cannabis operation that was awarded a…
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Buying a home in Sonoma County turned out to be our worst investment ever Buying a home in Sonoma County turned out to be our worst investment ever. Cannabis wasn’t legal, so a commercial-scale cannabis business in the area wasn’t part of our calculation when we purchased our dream home west of Sebastopol. After California…
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On 11-27-2020 at 7:05 AM Deputies from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to an armed robbery at a reported permitted cannabis farm in the 12000 block of Pratt Ranch Road in Hopland, California. Upon arrival Deputies contacted an adult male who was working as an unarmed security guard at the cannabis farm owned…
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BY ANGELA HART ahart@sacbee.com May 11, 2017 12:01 AM Updated May 12, 2017 10:53 AM The grapevines that line rolling hillsides and sweeping valleys in Northern California’s wine country have become iconic – a symbol of the region’s rustic charm that helped California earn its reputation as a world-class wine and food destination. But winegrapes…
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Recreational marijuana turns five in Colorado The 5-year experiment that is Colorado’s pioneering legalization of recreational marijuana now has enough data for more than conjecture to debate its success. The state’s first dispensaries began legal recreational sales on January 1, 2014. In 2014, combined recreational and medical sales totaled $683.5 million, and are expected to…
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EDITOR: Much of Sonoma County’s poor implementation of its cannabis program stems from questionable legal decisions. The county counsel’s advice to staff is attorney-client privileged, but the results are obvious. The county allows growers to remain in the permit relief program despite multiple failures to meet its explicit requirements. County counsel essentially asserts that the…
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BOARD OF FORESTRY AND FIRE PROTECTION KEITH GILLESS, CHAIRTHE NATURAL RESOURCES AGENCY Wade Crowfoot, SecretarySTATE OF CALIFORNIA Gavin Newsom, GovernorP.O. Box 944246SACRAMENTO, CA 94244-2460(916) 653-8007(916) 653-0989 FAXBOF Website (www.bof.fire.ca.gov)October 23, 2020 Linda SchiltgenDeputy County CounselCounty of SonomaLinda.Schiltgen@sonoma-county.org Re: BOF Certification Questions: Sonoma County Responses Dear Ms. Schiltgen: The Board is in receipt of your letter…
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Contact: Deborah Eppstein 801 556-5004 (deppstein@gmail.com)Craig Harrison 707 573-9990 (craigspencerharrison@gmail.com)Marylee Guinon 925 260-4346 (maryleeguinon@gmail.com) Issue:Amid another extreme fire season, concerned residents wonder why their Board of Supervisors is fervently working to exempt new development on unsafe roads from Cal Fire safety standards. Wide-spread Opposition: Residents as well as the following advocacy groups submitted opposition letters:…
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